Thorns 1: A Star Has Five Points
by CaptainJayfeather29
Summary: Lizardpaw and Hollypaw are your typical ScarClan apprentices, who hope to be the best warriors in the Clans. Yep. Life is going great for these littermates. The only thing is that one cat in their Clan wants to leave his Clanmates. Well, time to do something about that.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Lizardkit stared in wonder as Buckoflight laid a variety of herbs around Reedfeather's body. The black tom looked so small now, nobody would have guessed the things he'd done for his Clan. Besides her, Hollykit flinched.

"Reedfeather was the one cat the welcomed me into ScarClan." Thunderstar had his head dipped in grief. "Even though he could be stern, he was the nicest cat I've ever met."

Blizzardstripe took the leader's place. "Reedfeather was a friend, always ready to help a Clanmate or come up with a solution to a problem. We will all miss him dearly."

Buckoflight dipped his head. "We will start the vigil then."

"Come on." Alderfern grabbed Strikekit by the scruff, who was half asleep on his paws. "Let's go to bed."

"But I want to sit vigil with Tawnyflight!" Hollykit buried her face farther into her mother's fur.

"Go to sleep, my kits." Tawnyflight bent down to lick Hollykit and then Lizardkit. As her mother bent down, Lizardkit could see the sadness in her eyes.

Lizardkit rose to her paws without protesting and padded into the nursery. The familiar warm scents filled her nose, and at that moment she realized how tired she really was.

"Hello." Cobaltstripe was in the nursery, checking as Sparknight nursed their kits.

Lizardkit mumbled something and climbed into her nest next to Hollykit. Strikekit climbed in a moment later, squeezing in with his sisters.

"Good night, little ones." Alderfern meowed to them. "Sweet dreams."

Lizardkit found it hard to close her eyes. The camp was completely silent except for the occasional tail swish. She liked the busy camp, swarming with life. Now, as leaf-bare approached, the camp grew quieter every night.

But now the camp was completely silent.

 _Does this happen at every vigil?_

Lizardkit drifted into sleep, and when her eyes opened again, she was the last one in the nest. Sunlight streamed through the roof.

 _Weird._ Lizardkit blinked sleep out of her eyes and stretched her jaws in a huge yawn. _I'm usually the first one up._ In fact, in her 5 moons of life, Lizardkit had never been the last one to wake up.

"Come on!" She heard Heatherdream's annoyed mew. "A turtle is faster!"

Lizardkit poked her head out into the main camp, seeing Heatherdream and Blizzardstripe haul Reedfeather out of the camp.

"Should we go to SunClan to tell Stormstar and Moor Frost about the death?" Rileyclaw asked Thunderstar.

"No." The leader replied. "They will find out at the Gathering in a quarter moon." He hauled himself back up highstone and into his den. "We need to stop acting like ScarClan and SunClan are one Clan."

Lizardkit shrugged, padding over to the fresh-kill pile. Bramblepaw, Almondpaw, and Duckpaw were digging into mice next to it.

"Hello." Lizardkit mewed a greeting to the apprentices. She got back a friendly tail wave from Almondpaw and a "hi" from Bramblepaw.

Selecting a squirrel for herself, Lizardkit padded over to where Strikekit was observing the clearing. He looked over as Lizardkit approached him.

"I can't wait to be a warrior." Lizardkit purred. "I'm going to be Lizard _star_ one day!"

Strikekit swung his tail to and fro. "No, I'm going to be Strikestar!"

"Do you want me to teach you some hunting moves?" It was Smokepaw. "You can get a head start on your training!"

"Oh, yes please!" Strikekit jumped to his paws and started copying the black apprentice's movements.

Lizardkit looked at the two toms, deciding to find out what her parents were doing. Almost instantly, she spotted Tawnyflight talking to Troutshell across the clearing. Bounding towards her mother, Lizardkit noticed the sadness was still there.

"Tawnyflight!" Lizardkit called. "What are you doing?"

Troutshell whispered something to the queen and leaped onto highstone. Lizardkit watched him disappear into Thunderstar's den.

"We were just talking about something." Tawnyflight swept Lizardkit over with her tail. "Now, how are you this morning?" She changed the subject.

"All I really did was ate a mouse." Lizardkit admitted. "Oh! And I talked to Strikekit and Smokepaw."

Tawnyflight purred. "Don't worry, you'll be an apprentice in no time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lizardkit watched as Thunderstar apprenticed Hollypaw to Falconwing. As mentor touched noses with apprentice, a feeling of dread opened up in Lizardkit's belly.

 _What if I didn't practice enough?_ Lizardkit had joined in on Strikekit and Smokepaw's training sessions only a pawful of times. _What if Thunderstar thinks I don't want to be a warrior and he apprentices me to Buckoflight!?_

As Thunderstar finished apprenticing Strikepaw to Crimsonwing, Lizardkit felt her paws shake as she padded to stand in front of her leader.

"This apprentice will be known as Lizardpaw." Thunderstar locked his gaze on a cat at the back of the crowd. "Waspwing, I know you can pass on all that you know to your apprentice."

Relief filled Lizardpaw as she touched noses with her mentor. She knew Waspwing was a daylight warrior, so what would happen if she wasn't let out by her twolegs one day?

 _I'm not going to worry about it._

As the meeting dispersed, Hollowkit came bounding out of the nursery.

"Aw, we missed it!" She turned to Harrykit. "Now we won't know what it's like to be apprenticed!"

"Come on." Waspwing's mew drew Lizardpaw's attention away from the kits. "Troutshell and Almondpaw are coming with us to explore the territory."

Excitement fizzing in her veins, Lizardpaw bounded after the cream she-cat. "Can we go all the way to the Crater?"

"Probably not today." Waspwing replied. "But maybe if we're lucky."

Bouncing up and down, Lizardpaw followed Waspwing through the tunnel and into the forest beyond. The earth was blanketed with snow.

"Hello!" Almondpaw smiled, his pelt plastered with snow.

"We're ready to go." Troutshell came out of the tunnel a few heartbeats later. "We should start over by the SunClan border."

Lizardpaw was practically frozen to death by the time she scented the border. She spotted a group of cats on the far side of the ravine, scenting trees.

"That's the SunClan sunhigh patrol." Troutshell explained. "Try not to cause trouble."

As the ScarClan patrol came closer to the border, Lizardpaw's stomach churned with fear. What if the SunClan cats decided to start a fight? She hadn't learned any moves yet.

"Let's mark the border while we're here." Almondpaw suggested. "Save the dusk patrol some trouble."

"Okay." Waspwing bounded towards the border, her back paws flinging snow into the air. Lizardpaw followed, barely able to move because of the icy coldness that had consumed her body. Suddenly, a muzzle hit her in the back.

She jerked her head back to see Almondpaw, giving her a friendly nudge. Taking a deep breath, she padded on.

After a few moments, the two patrols were marking the borders right beside each other. Lizardpaw made out three cats, a long-haired white she-cat, a yellow tom, and a dark brown she-cat.

"Waspwing." The brown she-cat dipped her head.

"Eagle Claw!" Waspwing exclaimed. "Is this Lightning Mist?"

Eagle Claw motioned to the yellow tom. "Yes; and this is Quiet Leaf."

The white she-cat flicked her tail to and fro. "Hello."

"We aren't here to chat." Troutshell mumbled. "Let's get this broder marked.

Quiet Leaf shook her head. "Alright then."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Wake up!" Strikepaw's scent wafted up Hollypaw's nose. She made an effort to push him off her back, but her brother was put.

"Go away!" Hollypaw groaned. "I was just on the dawn patrol!"

Strikepaw growled under his breath, lifting his weight from his sister. Hollypaw rose to her paws, letting out a huge yawn.

"Sorry." Hollypaw could see the sincerity in his green eyes. "I didn't know you were on patrol."

Smiling, Hollypaw pushed past her brother and into the main clearing. The Clan was alive, every cat either on patrol or repairing the camp walls that never seemed to properly fix.

Strikepaw emerged behind her, fluffing out his ginger fur. Hollypaw scanned the clearing for Lizardpaw, but her sister was nowhere to be seen. In the two moons that they'd been apprentices, Lizardpaw was always out of camp. Hollypaw guessed that she didn't like to be cooped up in here.

A pile of slush was on highstone, dripping water into a small puddle. The tree that covered the entrance of the medicine den was covered in snow.

"Hollypaw!" Bramblepaw came charging towards her. "Can you help Hollowkit and I with cleaning up the nursery?"

Hollypaw followed her denmate towards the back of camp. When they got there, a kit greeted them, licking snow from her whiskers.

"The branch fell!" Hollowkit exclaimed. "We should clear it before the whole roof comes down."

Bramblepaw looked past the kit, where a large tree branch was leaning on the delicate roof of the nursery. Hollypaw heard a _crack_ as it caved in a little farther.

"We need to hurry!" It was Harrykit.

Hollypaw gripped the branch in her teeth, praying to StarClan there were no termites. She yanked it, and it came free, crashing to the ground, the nursery with it.

"Mousedung!" Bramblepaw cursed. He padded to the broken nursery and bent his head. "Go get Lizardpaw."

"But-"

"Just go!" Bramblepaw hissed. Hollypaw quickly turned and ran before things could get any worse. She dashed into the forest, parting her jaws to taste the air.

"Hollypaw?" Duckpaw's head poked through the undergrowth. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Hollypaw flexed her claws. "I specifically remember Thunderstar telling you to help repair the camp walls."

Duckpaw let out a groan. "Can't anyone just accept that those walls are never going to be fixed?" He snarled. "We put all our time and effort into them, but they're still broken."

"If we don't fix them, they'll let the water in and our camp will flood." Hollypaw reasoned.

Duckpaw shrugged. "Not my problem."

Lizardpaw suddenly came into view, dropping a mouse at her paws. "Oh, hello, Hollypaw."

Hollypaw noticed the nervous look on her sister's face. Before she could ask what was wrong, Lizardpaw picked up the mouse and dashed in the direction of the camp.

Hollypaw began to walk after her, when Duckpaw blocked her path. The black tom flicked his tail.

"Why do you need her?"

Hollypaw explained how the nursery collapsed and Bramblepaw had requested Lizardpaw's help. Soon, the two were dashing through the woodland, past snow-covered branches and shushy puddles.

 _Lizardpaw,_ Hollypaw thought darkly, _we're going to have a long talk._

All of a sudden, a yowl came from the direction of DustClan. Hollypaw made an effort to stop, but she went sliding across the ice. Duckpaw was far ahead, out of Hollypaw's field of vision.

Hollypaw dug her claws into the bitter ice and turned herself around. Then, she went dashing the way she came.

Soon, she broke the line of trees into a small stretch of grass. It crinkled underpaw as Hollypaw walked towards the Thunderpath.

"Help!" A cry echoed around the air. Hollypaw pushed herself faster, along the side of the Thunderpath.

Soon she came to the pawstones, where a giant trunk crossed the Thunderpath. Branches spewed from the sides, and Hollypaw spotted orange beneath the sticks.

 _A cat's in there!_

Hollypaw sprinted past the pawstones and began sniffing the bark, digging through the snow to get a look.

"Hey!"

Hollypaw glanced past the Thunderpath, where a two cats were standing. She recognized the tortoiseshell pelt of Stormleaf and the ginger one of Jayscar. The two DustClan cats came pelting towards Hollypaw, until they stopped at the border. Her pelt fluffed up in fear.

"Don't worry." Stormleaf meowed. "We're just passing to go to Mirror Lake."

Relaxing a little, Hollypaw heard a whimper from beneath the branches.

"Fox!" Jayscar came across the border, staring at the place where the whimper was coming from. "We need to move the tree and kill it!"

"No!" For the first time, Hollypaw noticed the fur belonged to a fox cub. _Why didn't I smell it?_

"Come on!" Stormleaf's one remaining eye squinted as snow fell on her muzzle; but the medicine cat shook it off.

Hollypaw put all her weight on the trunk, and she could see that Jayscar and Stormleaf were too.

It didn't budge.

Grunting with frustration, Jayscar gripped a branch in his teeth and pulled. A loud _crack_ split the air as it came free.

The fox suddenly darted, right around Jayscar's paws. The warrior yelped and dug his claws in the snow.

Hollypaw watched as it continued running, up the Thunderpath and out of Clan territory.

"Thank you!" Hollypaw breathed. "If you hadn't arrived, I would've gotten clawed in the face!"

Stormleaf let out a mrr of laughter, her gaze falling on the pawstones. "We should get going."

Hollypaw watched as the two cats disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Not wanting to go home, she sat next to the four pawstones.

 _Will this leaf-bare get worse?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"A little higher!" Harrykit instructed. "You're almost there!"

"You said that when we were a tail-length off the ground!" Lizardpaw complained.

Bramblepaw had to agree. His legs were aching with tiredness and his claws were getting sore from digging into the bark. He and Lizardpaw had been working on the roof for the whole day.

"Perfect!" Harrykit leaped in the air.

"Great." Lizardpaw growled. "How do we hold it up?"

Bramblepaw tilted his head down, seeing that Lizardpaw was right. The nursery roof had nothing to keep it up, only air. _Mousedung!_

Harrykit was walking in circles, as if thinking. Bramblepaw heard Lizardpaw give a snort.

"We could lean it on highstone." Bramblepaw suggested. "It would never fall down again!"

Lizardpaw gave him a long look, then nodded. "We need to find more branches, though."

Bramblepaw looked down at his hind paws. "If you can hold this up by yourself, then I'll go."

Lizardpaw nodded slightly. "Go, then."

Bramblepaw flipped around, and his hind paw hit something. He heard Lizardpaw give a shriek.

"Bramblepaw!" Her tone was teasing.

Hot with embarrassment, Bramblepaw went to check. The she-cat was on the ground, staring at something. He followed her gaze.

"The roof!" Bramblepaw noticed that, in kicking Lizardpaw, the roof had leaned against highstone on its own. He heard her give a purr.

"Do that again whenever there's a problem!" Lizardpaw rose to her paws, and Bramblepaw saw blood trickling out of her mouth, only for a heartbeat, however, as she licked it away.

"Come on." Lizardpaw purred. "Our job is done."

Bramblepaw glanced in the direction of the tunnel as leaves rustled. Three cats came through the hole, disappointed looks on their faces.

"You didn't find _anything?_ " Bramblepaw didn't notice that Thunderstar was present. "Only the queens and elders will be able to eat tonight!"

Crimsonwing was at the head. "I'm sorry, but the only thing we found was a squirrel on the side of the Thunderpath. It must have been killed by a monster."

Thunderstar gave a frustrated groan, heading back towards his den. Bramblepaw's gaze followed.

"You fixed the nursery!" Thunderstar stopped on the way to highstone. "Good job!"

Lizardpaw flicked her tail. "It was nothing." She shot a teasing gaze at Bramblepaw.

He looked at her for a moment before spotting Hollypaw over by the elder's den, picking ticks off of Heatherdream. Bramblepaw raced over.

"Hello." He mewed. "Do you need help?"

Hollypaw looked up at him, her blue eyes hostile. "Go away."

He shrugged. "Let me get some mouse bile, and I'll be back."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"You'll be fine." Buckoflight turned away from Lizardpaw, putting the herbs back in his store. "Just don't bite into anything hard for a few days."

Lizardpaw ran a tongue over her tooth, all taste of blood gone. "Thanks." She murmured. Exiting the den, the warmth of the afternoon sun warmed her back. Duckpaw was sitting on highstone, deep in conversation with Blizzardstripe. She padded over.

"So then the twoleg picked Brownstar up by the tail." Blizzardstripe was saying. "I'd never seen a twoleg so bloody!"

Duckpaw yowled with laughter. "I wish I could've known her."

"But wait," Blizzardstripe laughed, "Reedstar was even worse!"

"May I speak with Duckpaw?" Lizardpaw interrupted. Duckpaw glanced at her, then back to the ginger elder.

"Okay…" He murmured.

"Thanks!" Duckpaw quickly rose to his paws and followed Lizardpaw outside. Quieter so only she could hear, he said; "you saved me from eternal boredom!"

Lizardpaw shook her head. "Your welcome."

He smiled at her, before squeezing into the tunnel. As Lizardpaw emerged from darkness into the white-blanketed forest, she sighed.

"Come on," Duckpaw motioned her forward, "let's just have some fun."

Lizardpaw was suddenly filled with energy, like the countless times she had snuck out of camp with Duckpaw. Her light brown tail curled with his black, and they walked through the forest of the territory, until a ravine stretched in front of them.

"Let's jump it!" Duckpaw got down on his haunches.

"No!" Lizardpaw hissed. "Then MarshClan will rip our pelts off, and we'll have to explain at the Gathering tonight."

Duckpaw got back up. "Right. Bad idea."

"Maybe if you were a duck, you could fly over while the cats unsuccessfully bat at your feet." Lizardpaw joked.

"If you were a lizard, you could climb down the ravine and wait for the right moment to strike." Duckpaw responded.

Strangely, Lizardpaw found herself enjoying Duckpaw's insults, his stupidity, and how he followed her like a dog to a twoleg. _It's… nice._

"We should get back if we have any hope of being chosen for the Gathering." He mewed.

Lizardpaw followed as he ran through the trees, stopping as the ground slipped away into the camp. Duckpaw stopped beside her, peering into the hollow.

"Duckpaw! Lizardkit!" An unfamiliar voice echoed through the trees. Lizardpaw unsheathed her claws, her fur fluffed up in fear.

"Gorse!" Duckpaw was running towards the voice like it was a juicy piece of prey. A mottled brown head appeared, then the body.

"Duckpaw!" The cat purred. "It's been, like, almost four moons since I've seen you!" As the cat came farther into view, Lizardpaw spotted a red collar dangling from its neck.

"Oh, Lizardpaw, this is Gorse." Duckpaw introduced the kittypet. "Bramblepaw's brother."

Lizardpaw knew that the curly tom wasn't Clanborn, but it was hard to imagine fast, lithe Bramblepaw as a kittypet.

"You're an apprentice now?" Gorse scanned Lizardpaw.

"Am I supposed to know you?" She cocked her head to the side.

"No." Gorse shook his head. "But I believe Almondpaw told me about you last time we met."

Before Lizardpaw could ask how he had recognized her, another shape emerged. This one was a dark brown she-cat.

"Echo!" Duckpaw exclaimed.

"Hi." The she-cat mewed.

"Anyway," Gorse flicked his tail to and fro, "we wanna see the camp!"

Duckpaw hesitated, and Lizardpaw stepped in front of him. "This is Clan territory, you can't just wander in whenever you want."

Echo bared her teeth. "Try me."

"We'll leave," Gorse shot a look at Echo, "after we see our brother."

Duckpaw shook beside Lizardpaw.

Sighing, she locked eyes with Gorse. "Let's go, then."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The mud felt sticky on Hollypaw's paws, but she smudged it on the camp wall anyway. Beneath her, Smokepaw was doing the same, stuffing mud into a hole that was leaking water.

"Where's Strikepaw?" He asked her. "He was here a moment ago."

"Probably to go hunting." She hissed back. "Now, come up here and help!"

Smokepaw sighed, walking his paws up the wall until he was level with Hollypaw. She could see the fear on his face of being so high.

"Don't worry." Hollypaw smirked. "You'll only break all your legs if you fall."

Smokepaw took a deep breath and began to smudge the wall with mud. Hollypaw smiled. "You know I was only joking."

"Yeah." He mumbled.

Hollypaw suddenly heard rustling near the tunnel, and four cats emerged into the clearing. She spotted Lizardpaw, and then Duckpaw.

 _Those two…_

Two more cats followed, a mottled brown tom and a dark brown she-cat. Hollypaw narrowed her eyes.

"Thunderstar?" Duckpaw called.

The ScarClan leader was sunning on a rock near the center of the camp.

"Can a cat get any privacy around here?" The leader grumbled. "Why are Gorse and Echo here?"

Hollypaw turned her eyes back to the strange cats.

Bramblepaw came out of the apprentice's den like a rocket, zooming across the clearing until he stopped at them. "Gorse! Echo!"

Gorse leaped on Bramblepaw, cuffing him over the ear. "Bramblepaw!"

The brown apprentice started to purr. "It's good to see you."

"Well." Thunderstar shook his head, turning to Lizardpaw and Duckpaw. "You're confined to camp for a quarter moon."

Duckpaw's mouth gaped open, while Lizardpaw shrunk in her pelt. Hollypaw noticed Bramblepaw trying not to laugh.

Smokepaw leaped down from the wall, his muddy pawprints on the ground. "Hi, kittypets."

Hollypaw leaped down beside him, looking down at her golden paws, which were spotted with mud.

"Echo!" Bramblepaw was saying. "I'll show you Mirror Lake!"

"No!" Thunderstar snapped. "No kittypet is allowed to set foot on such sacred land."

Bramblepaw's face fell, and Gorse took in a deep breath.

"It's such a shame for Duckpaw to be kept in camp in his first days as a warrior." Thunderstar changed the subject. "You're long overdue for your warrior ceremony."

Bramblepaw showed no trace of being disappointed as he leaped all over Thunderstar's paws. "What, now? When my littermates are-"

"Hush!" Thunderstar flicked his tail, dragging his limp back legs on highstone. "All cats old enough to give an enemy a scar gather beneath highstone for a Clan meeting!"

Hollypaw was amazed at how fast the clearing filled. Cats of all sizes swarmed to the meeting place.

"Today I must make four new warriors." Thunderstar announced. "Almondpaw," he beckoned the apprentice forward.

"I, Thunderstar, leader of ScarClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." The leader dipped his head. "Almondpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Almondpaw answered softly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your full name as a warrior. Almondpaw, from this moment you will be known as Almondnose. StarClan honors your dedication and honesty, and welcome you as a full warrior of ScarClan."

"Almondnose! Almondnose!" The Clan chanted his name.

The new warrior turned around so he was facing the crowd, pride burning bright in his eyes. Hollypaw joined in on the chanting, imagining the day when the Clan would be chanting _her_ warrior name.

"Smokepaw." Thunderstar beckoned him forward. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Smokepaw seemed more certain than Almondnose. "I do."

"Then you will be known as Smokecoat, for your smoke-colored pelt."

"Smokecoat! Smokecoat!"

Hollypaw watched eagerly as Duckpaw became Duckwing, and Bramblepaw was given the name Brambleblaze. As the Clan chanted the new warriors' names, Hollypaw caught sight of Strikepaw and Lizardpaw. She moved to join them.

"One last thing." Thunderstar continued when the cheers died down. "A patrol scented fox over near the Thunderpath."

The exited murmurs turned to nervous ones.

"They just don't stop coming!" Hollypaw heard someone whisper.

"Patrols, stay alert." Thunderstar ordered.

"Actually," Hollypaw rose to her paws, "I found the fox stuck under a tree the other day. After it was freed, it ran out of Clan territory."

"And you didn't tell us?" Rileyclaw took a menacing step forward.

"Hollypaw," Thunderstar turned to her, "you need to report to the Clan if this happens again."

 _But I'm telling you_ now _._ Hollypaw flexed her claws. "Yes, Thunderstar."

"Come on." The leader smiled. "We'll be late for the Gathering."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"... and there's Strikepaw." Brambleblaze pointed to the apprentice with his tail. The ginger tom glanced in his direction, but quickly turned back to the vole he was eating. "He's Lizardpaw and Hollypaw's brother."

Gorse purred. "I remember you telling me that Strikekit, Hollykit, and Lizardkit had been born!"

Echo nodded in agreement. "You were only Bramblekit yourself."

Brambleblaze felt his back grow hot. "Yeah, I remember telling you."

"Hey!" Duckwing was running towards Brambleblaze at full pelt. "Can I come hunting with you guys?"

Echo shook her head. "You're confined to camp for two more days, right?"

Duckwing showed his teeth. "Right."

As the warrior stormed away, Gorse leaned closer to Brambleblaze. "Are you _really_ going to live here your whole life? I miss the days of us playing with the twoleg kit."

Brambleblaze stuck out his tongue. "I'm going to _die_ as a Clan cat."

Gorse shrugged. "We came to bring you home, you know."

"Well, I'm not coming with you."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Shut up." Echo snarled. "Toms."

Gorse and Brambleblaze exchanged glances. Then, Brambleblaze put his muzzle to his brother's ear.

"I'm _never_ going back to twolegplace."

# # #

Brambleblaze was starting to regret his words.

In the days that followed, snow had piled up to reach a full grown cat's belly. Every cat was helping with repairing the camp, even Gorse and Echo. But still, Brambleblaze imagined being in a cozy den, with heat and all the food he could ever want.

 _Maybe I should go back…_

 _No._

The Clan was his home. He'd chosen it a long time ago, when he was only four moons old, right after Petal died.

He still remembered her.

"Brambleblaze!" Came Hollypaw's mew. "Can you help?"

He rushed over, examining the situation. Snow was blocking the entrance to Thunderstar's den, and he could see the leader trapped inside.

"Dig, mousebrains!" Brambleblaze began shoveling snow with his front paws.

Soon, at least three warriors were kicking up snow, which allowed Brambleblaze to think while he was digging.

 _I don't know if I should go with them._

But he couldn't make the decision. It was too painful.

 _But Lizardpaw can. She always has the right answers._

"Can you guys handle this without me?" He asked Troutshell, who was digging beside him.

"Fine."

Brambleblaze dashed off highstone and into the center of camp, desperately searching for Lizardpaw. He spotted her near the elders' den, searching Blizzardstripe's pelt for ticks.

"Lizardpaw!" Brambleblaze sprinted over to her. "I need to talk to you."

"You can go." Blizzardstripe chimed in. "I'll try to get the rest of them myself."

Lizardpaw dropped the mouse bile and joined Brambleblaze. "What is it?"

They made their way to a shaded corner, away from the rest of the Clan. Brambleblaze took a deep breath.

"I don't know what to do."

"About what?" Lizardpaw asked.

Brambleblaze lifted his head until he was staring into her deep, brown eyes. "If I'm going to go to twolegplace with Gorse and Echo."

Lizardpaw looked away. "How could you even be _thinking about_ that?"

"They're my kin." He reasoned. "If you lost Hollypaw, you'd go to the ends of the earth to see her again, right?"

Lizardpaw's ears flattened to her head, but not in aggression. "Yeah, I would."

"Then you understand."

Lizardpaw nodded. "And they're your littermates."

Brambleblaze looked down at his paws.

"Then you should go with them." She looked back at him, and he took his gaze off his paws, back into her eyes. "Follow your heart."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Should I tell Hollypaw and Strikepaw?"

Brambleblaze shook his head. "Hollypaw's great for a lot of things. Making jokes, hunting with, but making serious decisions isn't one of them."

"Are you kidding me?" Lizardpaw smirked. "Hollypaw makes _all_ my decisions."

Brambleblaze managed to laugh. As he turned to leave, Lizardpaw's tail brushed his back.

"I've always thought of you as a best friend, you know."

He could pinpoint affection in her eyes. "So have I."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lizardtuft felt Hollyflame's tail flick over her ears. But when she turned the other way in her nest, she was greeted by Strikeleap's snoring. After a while, she decided to get up.

The moon was still high in the sky as she walked into the clearing. She spotted Cobaltstripe sitting near the tunnel, as the night guard. She avoided him, and, while he wasn't looking, slipped into the tunnel and out into the forest.

The trees had leaves, but they were still too small to block out the moonlight, which danced across the forest floor. Lizardtuft thought of three moons ago, when Brambleblaze, Gorse, and Echo had left for twolegplace. Lizardtuft had watched them go, knowing she couldn't have done anything to make Brambleblaze stay.

 _But it still hurts._

"Lizardtuft!"

The light brown she-cat swiveled her head around, where she met Duckwing's gaze. The black tom brushed her side.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah." She sat down in a spot bathed my moonlight, staring up at the stars.

"You don't look alright." Duckwing sat too, his tail crossing over hers. "Is Strikeleap bothering you?"

"No."

Duckwing was silent for a moment, then he turned to her.

"Do you like me?"

Lizardtuft tried not to burst out in laughter. "As a friend, yeah."

Duckwing looked at the ground for a second, then back up at her. "We could make each other happy."

"No, we can't." Lizardtuft dug her claws into the ground. "Why, Duckwing? Why can't you see when someone's trying to beleft alone? Why are you asking me this, when you can see that I'm trying to sort out my own life? Or are you just too blind?"

Lizardtuft didn't wait for his reply. She got up, dashing in the direction of camp. She wanted to curl up with Tawnyflight and Alderfern. She wanted to be a kit again.

"Lizardtuft, wait!"

"NO! I'm never talking to you again!"

Suddenly, a paw hit her in the side. "Can you stop screaming?"

Lizardtuft's eyes popped open, where she realized that she was in the warriors' den, with Strikeleap standing over her. Her brother's green eyes were full of worry.

"Go away!" Lizardtuft hissed, pushing past him into the camp. No one was there.

 _Good._

She turned around and dashed into the tunnel. As the scents of forest wafted up her nose, she relaxed.

"Lizardtuft?"

Lizardtuft almost sliced Duckwing's nose as he came up to her. "Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone." Lizardtuft hissed. "Can't you tell when some cat wants solitude?"

Duckwing turned and fled down the tunnel.

Lizardtuft snorted in amusement.

She walked farther from the Clan, towards the SunClan. When she got to the ravine, nobody was there.

Suddenly an idea popped into her head.

# # #

Lizardtuft didn't bother to use the tunnel, she slid down the camp walls, landing on her face. To her pleasure, Thunderstar was out and about.

"Thunderstar!" Shaking dirt from her muzzle, Lizardtuft raced towards the ScarClan leader.

"Yes?"

Lizardtuft panted. "I want to take a patrol to the -what did Stormstar call it- the city?"

Thunderstar shook his head. "Why in the name of StarClan would you want to do that?"

Lizardtuft found herself wordless.

"There will be no unnecessary travels." Thunderstar turned away and started towards Buckoflight's den.

 _I don't need his permission._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"You want to do _what?"_ Hollyflame gasped.

"I'm going to go to the city." Lizardtuft stated matter-of-factly. "Whether you want to come with me or not."

"Of course I'm coming!" Hollyflame announced.

"Good."

"Is anyone else coming?"

"I don't think so."

"Why don't we bring Hollowpaw?"

"She's too young."

As the she-cats talked, they moved out of the crevice they were hiding in. Lizardtuft had insisted that they stay hidden, even though the camp was as far away as it could be. And, Hollyflame had to admit, she didn't know that Lizardtuft would go this far for Brambleblaze. _He's just an annoying warrior who walks around like he owns the place._

"We should go back to camp and tell Thunderstar." Hollyflame looked back at Lizardtuft.

"No." Lizardtuft shook her head. "Actually, we should leave right away."

"But-"

"Let ScarClan think we've died. I don't care. We'll come back as five, not two."

"You mean," Hollyflame took a moment to soak in her sister's words, "Echo and Gorse are coming to the Clan too?"

"Why not?" Lizardtuft picked up her pace until it matched Hollyflame's. "I watched them. They show potential for great warriors."

"Okay." Hollyflame took a deep breath. "You sure they'll want to come back?"

"I'll _make_ them come." Lizardtuft smiled.

Hollyflame tried to share the enthusiasm by repeating the brown she-cat's words; _we'll come back as five._

Lizardtuft sighed. "I _hope_ they'll come back."

 _We'll come back as five._

"If not, I'm staying with them."

 _We'll come back as five. We'll come back as five. We'll come back as five._

"Of course they'll want to come back. I bet Brambleblaze's itching to run in an area larger than the small patch behind the dens." Hollyflame put her tail on her sister's back.

"But.. this is the city we're talking about. We have to go all the way to the Border Wall." Lizardtuft fretted.

The thought of traveling so far turned Hollyflame's stomach into a knot. The Border Wall was the large line of mountains that separated the Valley from the Plains. _Will we go all the way to LionClan or NightClan?_

But at the same time, it was exciting to be exploring territory that few Clan cats had stepped foot on. "Are we going to go in the Thundersnake?" She asked her sister. She remembered Echo talking about how that was how they got to ScarClan.

"No!" Lizardtuft exclaimed. "It will take longer, but true Clan cats walk."

By now they were skirting the outside of SunClan territory. Hollyflame wanted to hold on to the scent line, the only thing that would remind her of home.

"I don't even know where to go." Lizardtuft laughed a little. "Maybe I didn't think this through."

"Wait!" Hollyflame stopped. "There are a number of cats in SunClan who used to live in the city."

Hollyflame could tell that her sister was thinking the same thing.

"Quiet Leaf!"

The pair dashed into SunClan territory, dodging trees and undergrowth. Hollyflame's heart leaped when the camp came into sight.

"What are you doing here?"

The ScarClan cats stopped dead.

Two cats came out of the heather, their claws unsheathed and their lips drawn back into menacing snarls. Hollyflame fluffed up her fur, hissing at Lightning Mist.

"Leave now or we'll get Stormstar." It was Eagle Claw.

Lizardtuft walked over to the brown warrior as if she was talking to an old friend. "We don't mean to intrude, we're just looking for directions."

"To where?" Lightning Mist hissed.

"The city." Hollyflame chimed in.

The SunClan cats looked at each other for a long moment. "If it means you'll get off our territory, I'd be happy to point you in the right direction." Eagle Claw told them.

"Thank you." Lizardtuft dipped her head in respect.

"Keep walking towards the Border Wall until you reach a greenleaf twolegplace. Then, walk towards the sunset until you get there." The SunClan cat instructed.

"Okay." Hollyflame half ran, half walked towards the border. "Thank you!"

Lizardtuft was close behind, the gap between the two cats getting smaller. Hollyflame felt a sudden burst of energy, and she dashed right over the scent line.

"Let's find our lost Clanmate." Lizardtuft meowed. "We'll come back as five."

 _But what if we come back as zero?_

 **WATCH FOR THORNS 2: THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM**


End file.
